Erdoğan ally Binali Yildirim nominated as new Turkish prime minister

Turkey’s ruling party nominated Transport Minister Binali Yildirim, a close ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, to be its next chairman Thursday, positioning him to become prime minister at a party congress this Sunday.

Yildirim will stand unopposed for the role of Justice and Development Party (AKP) chairman at the congress in Ankara, and automatically take on the role of prime minister.

He is set to replace Ahmet Davutoğlu, who announced earlier this month that he would step down, in a move widely seen as a split with Erdoğan as the latter pursued increasingly authoritarian policies.

Yildirim, 60, is “an Erdoğan loyalist handpicked by the president and expected to follow his orders,” according to a Teneo Intelligence analysis note.

“We will work in total harmony with all our party comrades at all levels, beginning with our founding president and leader,” Yildirim said Thursday, according to AFP, referring to Erdoğan.